Georgia Airports Association urges larger airport-aid formula, hangar loan program and state study of height restrictions

Matt Smith, president of the Georgia Airports Association and airport manager at Gwinnett County Airport (Briscoe Field), told the House Transportation Committee that while state airport funding increased in recent years, significant unfunded airport projects remain and some policy changes are needed to help smaller communities.

Smith thanked lawmakers for fiscal-year 2024 appropriations and said $124 million had supported 38 projects, including safety and hangar development. He said GDOT projects still had about $218 million in unfunded projects for fiscal year 2025. Smith asked lawmakers to consider a hangar loan program and to revise GDOT's airport-aid matching formula so that it more closely mirrors the federal 90/10 split; he noted that GDOT's formula historically required a 75/25 match, which can be harder for small communities to provide.

Smith also urged a joint study on a statewide approach to height restrictions near airports. "Georgia is 1 of 3 states in the entire country that does not have a statewide height restriction," he said in the hearing. He described a risk where local structures deemed hazards by the FAA can force changes to airport operations, including shortening runways or altering approaches, after investments are made.

Committee members thanked the association for the briefing and suggested including stakeholders such as municipal associations and real-estate groups in any study on heights. No committee action or vote on statutory changes was recorded in the transcript; the presentation was informational.